Overcoming violence with the women’s revolution and confederalism

Elif Kaya

Violence against women is the oldest and most institutionalised form of violence. Its roots lie in the breakdown of relationships between women and men. Today, all forms of violence, from the plundering of nature to world wars, are nourished by this breakdown. Therefore, violence against women is not limited solely to women; it encompasses the entire society and nature. To combat this, a holistic approach is required.

It may be more illuminating to examine violence against women in two fundamental categories in order to understand the issue more clearly. One category is the violence exerted by men over women, and the other is violence directed at women by the state. While they may be treated as separate categories, these are simply two sides of the same coin. Although their interests may occasionally conflict, they more often work together in a cooperative framework, forming an unquestionable and almost sacred alliance. While men are responsible for violence in the home, in the public sphere or on the streets, this responsibility is shared between men and the state. At home, men use violence to impose their own rules and assert their power over women, whereas the state enforces legal regulations, punishes those who do not comply, and upholds its authority through sanctions.

For instance, there is little difference between the father in India who killed his four-year-old daughter in 2015 because she did not cover her head and Jina Amini, who was murdered on 16 September 2022 because a strand of her hair was visible. One perpetrator wielded the authority of being a father, while the other used the power of being a state.

Why does a state interfere in women’s lives?

Why does a state concern itself with what women wear or do not wear, when or if they marry, how many children they have or do not have, whether they go to school, drive a car, or sing? Why does it punish women for failing to comply with these rules? This is because the state views women’s efforts to achieve freedom—a struggle that lies at the very foundation of its power structure—as an existential threat. The rebellion of the oldest form of exploitation has the potential to trigger the collapse of all forms of exploitation. For this reason, states fear women’s pursuit of liberation more than almost anything else and do not hesitate to employ their full authority and power to suppress movements that emerge in support of women.

Rêber Apo (Abdullah Öcalan), the Kurdish leader, famously stated, “The massacre of women is more dangerous than the massacre of cultures or peoples,” because to destroy women is to destroy life itself. Furthermore, due to the central role women occupy in social life, the violence inflicted upon women inevitably extends to society as a whole. Modern wars, seemingly endless and increasingly entangled, are fuelled by the breakdown in relationships between men and women. This breakdown serves as the root of power, hierarchy, and exploitation. Violence springs from this source. Thus, one undeniable truth emerges: an essential condition for ending wars in the world is the eradication of violence against women. Without achieving peace between men and women, there can be no peace in the world.

The targeting of women in times of war

Throughout history, women have been the primary targets during periods of heightened warfare, and their bodies have been used as vehicles to deliver the message of war. This has manifested in various ways—whether during tribal conflicts involving bride abduction or in battles between two opposing powers. At its core lies the notion that women are commodities belonging to men, or that killing a woman is a mark of “manhood”. This mentality reduces women’s bodies to mere tools for sending messages.

A stark example in recent history is the treatment of the body of Ekin Van, a Kurdish activist murdered by the Turkish state during the self-governance resistance. On 15 August 2015, her body, killed five days prior, was publicly displayed, with images distributed via the media to deepen the trauma of the massacre. Similarly, during the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, the body of Armenian female soldier Asuh Apetyan was desecrated, and in the Israel-Hamas war, female hostages suffered unspeakable violence. During the occupation of Afrin, women like Barîn Kobanê, and in Rojava, Hevrîn Xelef, were not only killed but also subjected to bodily mutilation and public exposure. These acts were intended to send a message to the communities these women belonged to.

In patriarchal systems, destroying women equates to destroying the social fabric and delivering a warning of submission. The public dissemination of such atrocities amplifies the violence beyond the individual, extending it to an entire society. By using women’s bodies, brutal messages of terror and dominance are communicated to all.

Women as targets in the struggle for freedom

In recent years, numerous leading women in the fight for freedom have been targeted and killed. Political femicides have risen dramatically. In 2013, Sakine Cansız, Fidan Yıldırım, and Leyla Şaylemez were assassinated in Paris【1】; in 2016, Berta Cáceres, an environmental activist, was murdered in Honduras【2】. On 5 January 2016, Seve Demir, Pakize Nayır, and Fatma Uyar were killed in Silopi【3】; on 4 October 2022, Nagihan Akarsel was assassinated in Sulaymaniyah【4】. On 23 December 2022, Evin Goyî was killed in Paris, while Berivan Zilan lost her life in Sulaymaniyah in the same year. In 2023, Mursal Nabizada was assassinated in Kabul【5】, and Rehan Amude was killed in Qamishlo. These deaths are part of a pattern where authoritarian and patriarchal forces around the world view leading women as threats and eliminate them.

Women who seek to build an equal, free, and non-violent life—and actively fight for these ideals—become targets of violence. Female guerrillas, striving for liberation in the mountains, were killed through methods amounting to war crimes. Prisons have been filled with politically active women leaders. Despite this, imprisoned women have exposed the oppressive policies of fascist regimes. For example, Garibe Gezer, subjected to degrading treatment in prison, declared, “My body belongs to me”, and through her resistance revealed that human will is stronger than violence.

Women’s resistance against patriarchal oppression

Despite the obstacles created by patriarchal and fascist systems, women persist in their efforts to liberate life. They demonstrate their determination to transform a system devoid of justice and compassion, and to build a free existence. The struggle that women have waged against the patriarchal system in the first quarter of the 21st century suggests that this century may indeed become a “century of women”.

Across the globe, policies of femicide persist. The emergence of movements such as Ni Una Menos (“Not One Less”) in Argentina in 2015, which protests patriarchal views that frame harassment and rape as women’s shame; the #MeToo movement, which exposed perpetrators of sexual violence; and the Las Tesis movement, which declared that harassment and rape are state-sponsored crimes, are just a few examples. These movements highlight the ongoing global crisis of the patriarchal system.

Women are voicing their rebellion and objections louder than ever, transforming their outcries into global movements. This growing tide reflects a collective determination to dismantle systems of oppression and replace them with more just and humane alternatives.

The unique role of the Kurdistan Women’s Freedom Movement

It must be emphasised that the Kurdistan Women’s Freedom Movement occupies a unique position with its approach, which has inspired women worldwide and provided methods to address deeply rooted issues. With over 40 years of struggle, its ideological perspective, organisational capacity, and development of self-defence mechanisms offer hope to women across the globe.

On the occasion of 25 November this year, the Kurdistan Women’s Freedom Movement issued a statement marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The statement outlined strategies for addressing the crises created by the patriarchal system. Step by step, the movement has been constructing a women’s revolution and has demonstrated, through its experiences, the necessity of fighting alongside global women’s movements. The statement emphasised the importance of organisation, transnational alliances among women and self-defence, asserting the need for profound systemic change. Women are called upon to move beyond token reforms offered as appeasements and to undertake a transformative women’s revolution.

The need for organisation, alliances and self-defence

In a world where violence is so deeply entrenched, systemic, and globalised, women must intensify their organisational efforts and expand networks of solidarity. The Kurdistan Women’s Movement’s campaign launched in August 2023, titled “In Solidarity with Afghan and Shengal Women Against Male Hegemonic Attacks,” is a powerful example of how such efforts are possible under any circumstances【6】.

Among the priorities of the women’s struggle for freedom, self-defence stands as one of the most critical pillars alongside organisation and the advancement of the movement. Without self-defence, it is impossible to challenge the organised patriarchal-capitalist system or protect the achievements of women’s liberation. Women, as a collective, are owed justice from history and the patriarchal system. Therefore, they have the right to develop self-defence mechanisms in every sphere of life.

Self-defence: A pillar of liberation

It is evident that no achievement can be guaranteed without the means to defend it. A life that cannot be defended is never truly one’s own. Only eight years ago, the world witnessed women being sold in markets. This stark reality underscores the necessity of self-defence as the first and most fundamental principle of a free life. A life that is defended is a life of value, and only a defended life can be preserved.

The Kurdistan Women’s Freedom Movement has shown that self-defence is not merely a reactionary tool but a foundational strategy for building and maintaining freedom. This principle continues to resonate as a call to women everywhere: a liberated life requires the strength to defend itself at all costs. The KJK’s call was not only to advance the women’s revolution, but also to promote global women’s confederalism. Global women’s confederalism is an organisational model that strikes an optimal balance between the local and the universal. It is a democratic organisation where everyone can stand alongside their differences, feel that their existence is meaningful, and unite their strength. This is not a mere fantasy or utopia; in the midst of a fierce war, women in North-East Syria have been striving to build a free life through the confederalism model for years.

When all women of the world unite, patriarchal power will end!

Notes:

[1] On 9 January 2013, during negotiations for talks with Reber Apo, three Kurdish female politicians were shot in Paris. Sakine Cansız was one of the founding members of the PKK and a leading woman.

[2] Berta Cáceres, who led the fight against the policies of large corporations that destroy lands and nature, was shot and killed in her home. During this period, many leading women were murdered.

[3] On 5 January 2016, three women who organised social fieldwork and developed the women’s freedom struggle were gunned down in the middle of the street.

[4] A member of the Jineology Academy, who sought to uncover women’s knowledge through Jineology studies, was murdered in the middle of the street in Sulaymaniyah by individuals sent by the Turkish state.

[5] Mursel Nebizade, a former parliamentarian before the Taliban entered Kabul in 2021, was shot and killed in her home. Reports have documented that after the Taliban took control of Kabul, hundreds of women were murdered.

[6] Kurdish women, who face daily attacks from the Turkish state, organised this campaign between 3–15 August, highlighting that the women’s struggle is universal and must be addressed in this manner.

Source : https://medyanews.net/overcoming-violence-with-the-womens-revolution-and-confederalism/